Pilots Scolded By DC Air Traffic Control After They're Caught Meowing At Each Other In Bizarre Viral Clip

Things haven't exactly been going great at America's airports since dear dictator took over.

There were those horrifying plane crashes in early 2025, the TSA debacles of recent weeks, and another crash on March 22 at New York's LaGuardia airport.

So pilots flying over DC's Reagan National Airport making cat sounds to air traffic controllers doesn't exactly inspire confidence, right?

That's precisely what happened over one of the nation's most vulnerable airports recently, however, with the pilots having to be reprimanded by the controllers to stop "meowing" into their radios.

Reagan, you may remember, was the site of one of those horrifying crashes in 2025, when an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.

So it's not exactly surprising the air traffic controllers didn't find the pilots dog and cat noises funny.

At one point, a controller can be heard scolding:

“You guys need to be professional pilots."

Another hilariously insulted one of the pilots, telling him "This is why you still fly an RJ,” an abbreviation for "regional jet" or what we civilians might call a "puddle jumper." Nothing like a highly-specific drag!

The Federal Aviation Administration, however, doesn't seem to find it funny.

Speaking to ABC News, the FAA confirmed that the pilots' behavior was in violation of rules prohibiting “engaging in non-essential conversations when they’re below 10,000 feet.”

However, some have said that "meowing" and "woofing" on this particular frequency, which is a sort of open "party line" in case of emergencies, is a long-standing aviation tradition.

But of course the incident comes amid the ongoing turmoil at the FAA since Trump took office. The FAA and air traffic controllers were one of Elon Musk's biggest targets for "DOGE" budget cuts.

Air traffic controller firings were thankfully stopped by former Real World star and FAA Secretary Sean Duffy, but tons of other FAA staffers were let go.

And the U.S. has had a dire shortage of air traffic controllers for years that many say the Trump Administration's actions have only worsened.

Of course none of that negates the elephant in the room: This audio is absurdly hilarious, especially once the insults kick in.

And on social media, there were plenty of jokes about the meowing pilots to go around—including theories that the pilots are furries.

Not everyone found it funny, however, especially some of those who work in aviation.

The FAA has announced it has launched an investigation into the matter. Hey, at least our aviation system's collapse is funny!